Veterinary Toxicology – Basic and Clinical Principles, 2nd Edition

Veterinary Toxicology: Basic and Clinical Principles, 2nd Edition. Veterinary toxicology is a very complex, yet fascinating, subject as it deals with a wide variety of poisons of plant, chemical and animal origins.

Veterinary Toxicology – Basic and Clinical Principles, 2nd Edition

Presently, synthetic com-pounds constitute the largest number of chemicals that are frequently encountered in animal poisonings. The subject of veterinary toxicology is complicated greatly by the wide variations in responses of domestic, aquatic, wild and zoo species to toxicants. Of course, there are many other factors that can be involved in the overall toxicity of a chemical. In the last few decades, veterinary toxicologists have faced the enormous task of dealing with a flood of new farm chemicals and household products. Understanding the complete profile (especially mechanisms of toxicity) of each toxicant is the biggest challenge for today’s veterinary toxicologists.

By the turn of the 21st century, we began to face new problems. For example, during the incident of September 11, 2001, a large number of pets died from the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York City, while the surviving ones still suffer from a variety of illnesses (Ground Zero Illnesses) caused by the dust, debris and toxic chemicals. In 2005, two major hurricanes (Katrina and Rita) devastated the lives of so many animals in the Gulf Coast states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Thousands of animals died, while a large number of others suffered from intoxication with high levels of metals, pesticides, algal toxins and many other unidentified toxic substances.

Since the publication of the first edition of Veterinary Toxicology: Basic and Clinical Principles in March 2007, several man-made and natural disasters have occurred, which have devastated the lives of humans and animals alike in many parts of the world.